Humble sparrow
you are my wings
my words fly
with you
as you play
so do my words
alongside : and
as you forage
my heart does
too : my mind
searches for
meaning : hunts
for love
John Lyons
Revised version
Humble sparrow
you are my wings
my words fly
with you
as you play
so do my words
alongside : and
as you forage
my mind searches
for meaning :
my heart hunts
for love
Things seen as seen
as real as the fox
grown fat during
the summer months
immune to the sin
of pride it strolls
across the lawn
king of the pile
a family raised
all in good health
a secure successful
survivor – what
is not to admire ?
Redemption is there
at the heart of love
in the beauty of the day
John Lyons
A group of sparrows
celebrating the new year
playing tag hopping
from one branch to another
The sun is streaming
on this brand new day
and away off I hear
crows cawing
but the sparrows
deep into their game
are oblivious to all else
and life is short :
in the scheme of things
these birds are lightweights
like angels they come and go
their good work barely noticed
John Lyons
Fire, John Lyons (acrylic on paper)
Marks on paper
or on canvas
that hold
the energy
of the stroke
muscular
action art
creating shapes
in space
adding colour
that activates
the retina induces
a reaction
a change
starlight depicts
warm starlight
with movements
that alter
the cosmos
just as silence
is sound
sometimes richer
than any melody
words driven
by the power
of thought
and feeling
a beauty that stirs
passions within
body and soul
nothing human
ever lifeless
John Lyons
Leaf, John Lyons (acrylic on paper)
The sycamore senses
the lengthening days
knows that a curve
has been passed
Its leaves tightly packed
in the buds are biding
their time ; they are aware
of their purpose in life
Poetry is not an imaginary
world – it’s as real as
those leaves patiently
waiting to burst forth
John Lyons
Tiny dancer, John Lyons (40 x 40 cm, oil on canvas)
The living dance
upon dead minds
believe in moon magic
threaten to destroy
the earth with misplaced
enthusiasms and dreams
Time is no refuge
and no doors can
remain bolted forever
Pick up your spoons
and dig into the daily
gruel and accept the cards
you have been dealt
The only splendour
here below is love
but remember it cannot
be put into words nor
can it be photographed
Disdain all those
who would betray it
they are not worth the soil
in which they are buried
John Lyons
And so along with the drizzle
the day dissolves into night
yesterday was so much fun
so full of love and laughter
games played together in
celebration of what family is
They say that at Christmas
the angels work overtime
guiding those who’ve been lost
back into the human fold
tending to the wounds
of the broken-hearted and
reaching out to those in search
of a friendly hand to hold
John Lyons
The clock strikes Christmas
time beats with an open heart
the moon has climbed
to the top of the stairs
I see it through a window
that peeks out into the future
Somewhere a flower is waking
its perfume will soon spread
as its petals open and so deepen
the earth’s unassailable beauty
In every aspect of every star
of every planet you are loved
my hands – simple as they are
were born to adore you everly
John Lyons
Just a figure of speech
there are after all
no big hours
Sometimes I wake
in these small hours
and you are far away
and I love you
wholeheartedly
from a distance
but as deeply as if
you were by my side
asleep in the beauty
of your dreams
and I were watching
the rise and fall
of your breast perhaps
hearing your heart
softly beating for me
John Lyons
A once world
without air
without water
without light
without love
without a ghost
of affection
without a dream
or a song
dayless and
skyless
A once world
incipient
in the cosmos
an expectation
an oceanic silence
without words
without gestures
birth awaiting birth
life awaiting life
a deep darkness
awaiting the star
of Bethlehem
John Lyons
johnjosephlyons 